Friday, 20 March 2015

Canadian Agricultural Safety Week

March 15-21, 2015 marks Canadian Agricultural Safety Week presented
by Farm Credit Canada. The purpose of this campaign is to educate and empower
producers and their families on the importance of practising safe agriculture.
According to the Canadian Agricultural Safety Association (CASA) every year
Canada mourns the loss of about 100 adults and 12 children due to agricultural
fatalities. CASA’s role is to mend the gap between how safe farmers believe
they behave and what is actually occurring.

1. Recognize the
hazards. Agricultural operations involve a lot of moving parts to get the
job done. This includes machinery, related equipment, moving vehicles etc.
Identifying, assessing and managing hazards will help prevent injuries, and
protect your operation from disruption and loss.

2. Maintain, operate
and repair equipment properly and safely. Follow manufactures
specifications, keep everything in prime running order, use proper safety
equipment and make sure everyone is up to date on training.

3. Ensure supervisors and workers have the
expertise and skills needed to do their jobs. Under the act, supervisors are
responsible for

Ensuring a
safe workplace and assigning safe work

Providing
training and information

Supervising
workers

4.
Use the right equipment for the job. Machines are carefully
engineered to eliminate hazards related to tipping, rolling, over falling etc.
Employers who “jerry-rig” the equipment are exposing their workers to hazards
and compromise the integrity of the equipment.

5. If you have to change the design of a hopper or
any other piece of farm machinery, involve an engineer in both the design and
installation. Equipment design changes fall within the practice of
professional engineering. In Ontario, section 12(1) of the Professional Engineers
Act requires that this work be done by a holder of a licence, a temporary
licence or a limited licence. Under section 12(3) (b) of the act, this work may
also be done by an unlicensed individual who has a licence holder assume
responsibility for the engineering work.